Frustrated and considering a career change

aminv · Jul 6, 2009

hey

you will be fine. give it a one more year. things will get better. I live in NJ. i have RN, BSN. i moved here from PA and applied to 25 hospitals no jobs. i work at nursing home PRN. even there no more full time jobs. it is so funny i was planning to move to IL because my family is there and i doing job search there i guess no luck there also. why don't you try nuring home full time job and until market gets better you will find something you like.

every career has no jobs sign here i dont know about there. so i think you should finish your BSN and we are all hopeing economy will get better in year or two and we will have more jobs.

quezen · Jul 6, 2009

Don't waste any more of your time getting a BSN the way you are feeling now.

If you want to change careers, and have the family support and wherewithal to do it then do it.

Keep your nursing license up to date, and keep working, if only PRN, or part time.

Nursing is just like you described it, and it is not going to change.

When I was in school in the 80es, students had bumper stickers that read, "down with paperwork, back to the patient".

The same subjects were the 'hot topics'. Overwork, no patient contact, no respect, glorified pill pusher, ect.

This is the unfortunate reality of this field. NO ONE is going to PAY you $20-$30 an hour to sit at the side of some sick patient and hold their hand, despite what the public thinks and is led to believe.

If a patient wants that kind of care, they better have family members like like you to take care of them, or enough money to hire private duty.

The 'art' to Nursing these days is to be so over worked, and stressed out, and constantly insulted, and STILL go into a room and smile and ask "how are you doing", and get done what you need to get done as efficiently as possible, and get the heck out of the room, especially if the 'family members' are sitting around expecting you to fluff pillows, coo, and croon, and ask if anyone would like tea.

You, the nurse, are wondering if the blood is finished in the next room and whether or not the dying patient is dead yet, whether the EKG got done on so and so having chest pain, and you are doing a mental calculation at that very moment to decide how exactly to extract yourself from the family members, without them 'writing you up' because you did not live up their expectations of a nurse who would 'sacrifice your own life' for the good of their loved one.

That is the way it is, it is not going to change, it is only going to get worse. Maybe we will get Universal Health Care, and some of the consumers will have to give up the ideas they have about how they should be treated like guests in hotel, instead of consumers of an overburdened health care system, but that is an IF, and is a long way off.

Be happy you figured it out now. Just think, a lot of nurses just kept hanging in there, thinking maybe it was something THEY were doing, and that they would learn and things would get better. The years went by and all of a sudden it is TOO LATE to retrain.

BUT keep your licence active AND continue to work. It is not so easy to get a job these days, you may just have to suck it up and work with what you have. That is exactly why a lot of us 'novices' who became 'experts', are still working in this field.

We would like to have a life also, but it takes money to live.

bargainhound, RN · Jul 6, 2009

I suggest you try agency work. You can either stay where you are and do your college work, or take

a travel assignment and do your college work elsewhere or online.

Agency work gives you a chance to try other fields of nursing and other companies.

Good luck.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 6, 2009

I thought nursing was to be more than simply a career choice; it felt like my calling.

That's where you made your mistake. Your expectations were unrealistic. You built nursing up in your mind to be this great and wonderful thing that would fulfil your soul. No career can live up to that fantasy all the time. Every career has its downsides and goes through its rough patches. People whose expectations don't include realistic perceptions of some bad times are setting them up for severe Reality Shock when the real world contradicts their fantasies.

The national economy is in a big mess right now -- effecting most people in negative ways -- and having a negative effect on most workplaces. The health care industry is no exception. It is not immune from general societal and economic forces. Things will be different in the future, though we can only speculate about what those exactly differences will be. My guess is that some things will get better (the availability of jobs) and other things will get worse (???)

Whether or not nursing is for you or not is something I can't say. But I can say that you are judging nursing as a career based on an economy that is the worst it has been since the early 1930's and based on a set of extremely high expectations that might have been unrealistic to begin with. That doesn't sound like a good recipe for making any life-changing decisions. If you want to explore some other fields, that's fine ... but I wouldn't totally decide to reject nursing until you see what happens when the economy starts to improve again.

lamazeteacher · Jul 6, 2009

Career Builder.com is very helpful, for job seekers.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2009

I've applied to a few places out of state, but even those hospitals would rather take a more experienced instate RN than an "inexperienced" out of state RN. Plus, I have no money for relocation---and relocation bonuses are not happenin' anymore!

You may have to expand your job search to find an RN job right now. There are hospitals that are still hiring new grads. You may be able to get relocation money, too, but these hospitals are often rurally-located and in undesirable locations. For example, you may have to drive 3 hours to get to "civilization" and a grocery store.

In your shoes, I'd expand my job search to possibilities not considered before, and 'make a way' before than RN degree gets stale. For example, I'd work 2 full-time menial jobs, like waitressing, if that's what it took to save up U-Haul and gas money for a cross-country relocation. Hopefully you can scrape together other easier solutions for moving expenses, though.

Have you looked at remote rural areas? Have you considered working for a rural Indian Health Service hospital? Many are so remote, they even offer housing for hospital staff because there is no local housing available. See? That aspect of relocation would be taken care of for you. You'd just have to physically get there, after being offered a job.

The worst economy since the Great Depression will, for many of us new grads, require us to make choices we never anticipated.

I'm about to wax dangerously off-topic, but this reminds me of something, for what ever it's worth. Maybe it's helpful to look at how previous generations handled adversity, and their attitudes. :twocents:

I spent time on July 4th with an 85 year-old relative who is a WWII veteran. He talked about life, work, and WWII. This generation of hard-working heroes worked their fingers to the bone, survived on little, and were grateful for what they had and where they 'landed'. They built a great and prosperous nation.

This relative of mine talked about going to the Pacific during WWII and going hungry while fighting for his life and his nation. He talked about after the war traveling the US with only a bag of clothes on his back and working for food and a place to stay for the night. He, like many others in the 1940s and 1950s, worked his fingers to the bone and then went on to build a prosperous nation. He didn't complain about moving to remote places or hard conditions. He just came back from the war hungry, built a business, and made rich prosperity out of dust and hard work, in places he could make it. He's a wealthy old man whose business still employs people in our town, who went where ever the work was, regardless of the cost, conditions, or desirability. Listening to him corrected some of my whiny/prissy tendencies like: I don't want to move to a rural area after graduation, I want to stay where I live and be able to go swimming in a lovely pool every morning, I want to live near big stores, I don't want to work on that kind of unit, etc.

RedSox33RN · Jul 6, 2009

Your expectations were unrealistic. You built nursing up in your mind to be this great and wonderful thing that would fulfil your soul. No career can live up to that fantasy all the time. Every career has its downsides and goes through its rough patches. People whose expectations don't include realistic perceptions of some bad times are setting them up for severe Reality Shock when the real world contradicts their fantasies.

This is SO true, and what I am struggling with right now. I really thought ER nursing would be for me, but find myself more "disenchanted" with it than ever (although it's only been 2 years for me). I'm looking now for a new area of nursing, hoping and praying that I will find my niche. I know I need to be able to spend more time with my patients and truly HELP them make lifestyle changes and follow their progess, which obviously not what the ER is about. Yes, helping people, of course, but after they're gone to the floor or out the door..........they're gone. I often wonder what happens to a lot of them, and this feeling and wanting to follow-up/follow-through, has become much more pronounced in the past few months.

xEdgexRNx · Jul 6, 2009

hey
why don't you try nuring home full time job and until market gets better you will find something you like.
.

Even nursing homes aren't hiring.

The 'art' to Nursing these days is to be so over worked, and stressed out, and constantly insulted, and STILL go into a room and smile and ask "how are you doing", and get done what you need to get done as efficiently as possible, and get the heck out of the room, especially if the 'family members' are sitting around expecting you to fluff pillows, coo, and croon, and ask if anyone would like tea.

Isn't it sad that THIS is what nursing has morphed into? Florence is probably rolling in her grave! I did not go into this field to treat my pts like this.... yet this is what nurses are forced to do d/t the modern nature of the job. This is not holistic care.... it's more like an assembly line, which is not how people, especially those gravely ill, ought to be treated. This is not conducive to healing whatsoever.

Be happy you figured it out now. Just think, a lot of nurses just kept hanging in there, thinking maybe it was something THEY were doing, and that they would learn and things would get better. The years went by and all of a sudden it is TOO LATE to retrain.

Unfortunately, I DON'T know if I "figured it out." Perhaps I AM making too rash of a decision, but like u said, I don't want to wait around until it is too late to embark on what I feel is my real passion. Question is, how do i know whether to "stick it out" or try something else?

I suggest you try agency work. You can either stay where you are and do your college work, or take
a travel assignment and do your college work elsewhere or online.
Agency work gives you a chance to try other fields of nursing and other companies.

I've contacted several agencies.... I'm "too inexperienced." U gotta have that magical 1-2 years of experience, which I don't have (and can't get!). Urgh

You may have to expand your job search to find an RN job right now. There are hospitals that are still hiring new grads. You may be able to get relocation money, too, but these hospitals are often rurally-located and in undesirable locations.

I HAVE expanded my search... I've applied to every RN-related job out there. I have tried Indian reservations, the Applaccian region, etc.... no such luck. AND NO ONE is offering relocation benefits. I'm SO in debt that I cannot afford to just pick up and move away. Sort of a catch-22, but that's reality.

I'm looking now for a new area of nursing, hoping and praying that I will find my niche. I know I need to be able to spend more time with my patients and truly HELP them make lifestyle changes and follow their progess, which obviously not what the ER is about. Yes, helping people, of course, but after they're gone to the floor or out the door..........they're gone. I often wonder what happens to a lot of them, and this feeling and wanting to follow-up/follow-through, has become much more pronounced in the past few months.

YES! I totally agree with u, 100000000%! I wish I knew my niche too. I know that hospital nursing is NOT for me, but it seems that u MUST have at least 1 yr of it in order to be qualified for anything else. :-( I'd love to do hospice, home health, or something out in the community, but without that background, I'm screwed. Plus, those community positions (especially home health) require u to have 2 yrs experience in that field... so, yeah, a new person is SOL!

IDK what to do. I think I'd enjoy working at those Take Care Health Clinics in Walgreens, but that wud require a lot of schooling, money, time, and EXPERIENCE in acute settings. Thus, all those factors work against me. I just feel extremely dismayed and disillusioned by nursing.... and I'm absolutely distraught over it.

I know no one can make this decision for me (but I wish someone could!).... but I am seriously at a loss. Pros and cons weigh heavy on both ends.... but IDK what to do. The "easy" thing would be to stay in nursing, but risk growing more and more burned out and frustrated by the field. Changing careers would not be easy, but it may bring some joy into my life, less stress, and the feeling of making a difference. I wish I had the support of my family, but my mom (a disgruntled teacher) does not think that going into teaching is a wise decision.

This sucks. :-(

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2009

If you want honest feedback, here it is: your posts are sounding flaky. I checked out your other posts and multiple, similar threads.

You posted that you were "let go" from one hospital job because the manager said you "weren't a good fit" and you were vocal about your nursing philosophy versus your preceptors' nursing philosophy. You wanted to change your hours after starting your preceptorship because you didn't feel well on that shift. You were offered dialysis and apheresis jobs but you had problems with those jobs, too, like having "no life outside of work." You started the apheresis job and "hate it." You lost the school nurse job.

In one post you "hate hospitals" and in another you want an ICU job. Next, in another post you need a new car because one job requires a lot of commuting and you have a stick shift. (So what if you have a stick shift, just drive it and be grateful!).

You say you have concerns about nursing maybe not being your "calling" and that maybe "god" is trying to lead you elsewhere. I have another perspective. Maybe your multiple threads and posts reveal a pattern that you do not commit yourself to your work fully with a good work ethic, and you have unrealistic expectations.

Maybe nursing is for you, and maybe it isn't. I can't answer that. I do know that your posts and threads reveal a pattern, though, and if I were you, I'd look in the mirror for solutions.

NurseLay · Jul 6, 2009

Nursing is too a field that I am struggling with. I have been a nurse for a year and I work on a cardiothoracic surgery stepdown unit. We take care of device patients, heart transplants, general cardiac surgery, and thoracic surgery patients. When I first started I thoroughly enjoyed my job, and taking care of my patients. Shortly after, I began to struggle with many ethical issues that I've witnessed such as, physicians talking about those without insurance and making comments such as "They don't have insurance, so why are we wasting time talking about them then" I feel there are many people who are extremely poor surgical candidates and they end up staying in the hospital forever. Initially, we did not put devices in just anyone, but now they definitely are. It also ****** me off how ungrateful some people are, and just like someone else said, you are trying to get out of the room to get to another patient, and the family wants to write you up because they weren't finished talking to you. I had a patient who was a complete pain in the butt and I was extremely nice to her, and I knew that she was uncomfortable, and I bent over backwards to ensure that she was comfortable and had the best care, when I went to give her medications, a friend/family member was at the bedside and she asked for a fresh soda (this was a diabetic who was noncompliant with her diet and she needed diet sodas) and she wanted a regular soda, so about a few minutes later, the patient/family member came out and complained to the charge nurse about the patient getting a hot soda. I'm like, if I can feel that the soda is cold through the can, then it is cold (this may or may not be true). Anyway, I am truly burned out from nursing and I want to get away from the bedside, that is why I am completing my BSN with Chamberlain also. I have been looking into clinical research positions focusing on the assist devices because I am completely fascinated with the machinery. I hope that you are able to find a job or something that will benefit you and allow you to make some money because it is hard making it even with a job.

NurseLay · Jul 6, 2009

If you want honest feedback, here it is: your posts are sounding flaky. I checked out your other posts and multiple, similar threads.
You posted that you were "let go" from one hospital job because the manager said you "weren't a good fit" and you were vocal about your nursing philosophy versus your preceptors' nursing philosophy. You wanted to change your hours after starting your preceptorship because you didn't feel well on that shift. You were offered dialysis and apheresis jobs but you had problems with those jobs, too, like having "no life outside of work." You started the apheresis job and "hate it." You lost the school nurse job.
In one post you "hate hospitals" and in another you want an ICU job. Next, in another post you need a new car because one job requires a lot of commuting and you have a stick shift. (So what if you have a stick shift, just drive it and be grateful!).
You say you have concerns about nursing maybe not being your "calling" and that maybe "god" is trying to lead you elsewhere. I have another perspective. Maybe your multiple threads and posts reveal a pattern that you do not commit yourself to your work fully with a good work ethic, and you have unrealistic expectations.
Maybe nursing is for you, and maybe it isn't. I can't answer that. I do know that your posts and threads reveal a pattern, though, and if I were you, I'd look in the mirror for solutions.

I didn't look at the previous posts, but if what you are saying is true, then yes, there is truly a lot of room for self reflection.